Feeding device



Dec.1,1936. A, BWAHLQUST 2,062,952

FEEDING DEVICE Filed July 5l, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Dec. 1,1936 `UNITED STATES FEEDING DEVICE Albin B. Wahlquist, Chicago, Ill.,assigner to The Heyer Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation ofIllinois Application July 31, 1935, Serial No. 33,921

'l Claims.

The feeding device of the present invention is designed primarily forthe purpose of feeding 'paper sheets singly from a stack to the rollerof a duplicating machine, although the latter mechanism constitutes noportion of the present invention, and since the feeding mechanism isadapted for use in connection with machines of various kindsirrespective of the manner in which the paper sheets are -treated ormanipulated after delivery by the feeding mechanism.

In the feeding of sheets singly from the top of a stack in such a wayasI to bring the leading edge of the paper sheet each time to an exactposition for delivery, difcultly has been experienced by reason of thefact that in feeding forward the uppermost sheet there is a tendency toforwardly displace one or more of the underlying sheets so that whensuch displaced sheets are in turn advanced by the feeding mechanism theywill start from a forwardly displaced position, with the result that theleading edge will be advanced to a point beyond the normal line ofdischarge.

The mechanism of the present invention is designed to overcome thetendency toward such displacement of the underlying sheets by so actingafter each feeding stroke as to retract a displaced sheet, so that eachsheet of the stack in succession will start from the proper feedingpoint, with a resulting accuracy in the delivery of the sheets.

Further objects and details of the invention will appear from thedescription thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,Where- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the feeding mechanism of thepresent invention as applied to the drum of a rotary duplicatingmachine;

Figs. 2 and 3 are longitudinal sectional views of the feeding mechanismin different positions of operation;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the feeding mechanism;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the feed rollers taken online 5--5 of Fig. 3;

Figs. -and 'I are enlarged'details of the clutching mechanism for thefeed rollers; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are sectional details showing a modified form of cam foractuating the clutching mechanism.

As shown, the feeding mechanism is applied to a duplicating machinecomprising a frame I0 and a drum I l which is adapted to be rotated by ahandle I3. The duplicating mechanism, however, constitutes no portion ofthe present invention and need not be described in detail.

The frame of the machine affords a feeding table I4 which is preferablyarranged at an incline from front to rear for the support of a stack ofpaper sheets A, which stack is held in position by side plates I5 and astop plate IB, which is curved to compensate for the difference intravel of the sheets to the delivery line as the height of the stackdiminishes.

The feeding is performed by a pair of corrugated feed rollers I'I, eachof which isI carried at the inner end of an arm IB of inverted channelformation, comprising a top web portion I9 and side flanges 20. As shownin Figs. 2 and 3, the web portion near the inner end of each arm is cutaway at the point 2| to afford clearance for the roller which issupported between the ends of the inwardly projecting side flanges.

The arms, at their outer or rear ends, are mounted upon a rod 22 whichis rigidly secured at its ends between swinging ams 23, the lower endsof which are mounted upon pivots 24 on opposite sides of the frame ofthe machine. A swinging motion is imparted to the arms 23 by means oflinks 25, which at their forward ends are adjustably secured to a plate26 carried by the shaft I2, which plate is provided with an arcuate slot2l which permits the arms 23 to be adjusted and locked by wing nuts 28in order to properly time the feeding operations with the action of suchdevices-grippers or the likeas may be provided for removing the papersheets after delivery.

Figure l shows in full lines the position occupied by the feed rollerswhen retracted at the beginning of a feeding movement, and in dottedlines the position of the parts after the roller has been advanced toits limit. In feeding the paper sheets forward, it is desirable toprevent rotation of the feed rollers, so that they will by their weightmaintain feeding contact with the surface of the uppermost paper sheetduring the period of advancement.

The timing of the machine is such that the feed rollers begin theirrecession during the interval of withdrawal of the uppermost sheet bythe grippers, so that as the feed rollers start hack, they are moving inreverse relation to the paper sheet last delivered, and during thisinterval it is necessary to unclutch the rollers to afford a rollingcontact with the outgoing sheet, but at an intermediate point in theretraction of the rollers they will pass the rear edge of the outgoingsheet and come in contact with the surface of the underlying sheet, andat this point it is necessary to lock the rollers against furtherrotation in order that they may be utilized as friction elements to drawback the underlying sheet (or sheets) against the stop plate, and thustrue up the stack and compensate for previous displacement prior to thenext feeding operation.

The mechanism now to be described is designed to lock and unlock therollers at the proper time to perform the functions above stated.

Each of the rollers |1, which is preferably of rubber or suitablecomposition, is carried by a cup-shaped mounting 29 provided with aninwardly extending flange 30 the inner edge of which bears upon a pintle3| provided with a flange 32 against which the inner rim of the flange39 abuts. The cup 29 surrounds and is journaled upon a partiallycylindrical block 33 which is locked to the pintle 3| by a sunk setscrew 34 which may be manipulated through an aperture 35 in the wall ofthe cup. The arrangement is such that the roller mounted upon its cupwill journal upon the block 33 and upon the pintle 3|. The outer marginof the cup 29 is shouldered at the point 36 to receive a ring plate 31which is mounted for rotative movement.

The block 33, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, is of half cylindricalformation in its upper portion,

`but is cut away on each side of its vertical center to afford a notch38 leaving a medial projection 39 with a concentrically rounded bearingsurface 40, which in conjunction with the upper portion of the blockfurnishes the journal mounting for the cup 29 with the roller mountedthereon.

The side faces 4| of the medial projection 39 converge toward oneanother, and in conjunction with the adjacent wall of the cup 29 affordthe tapering or wedge-shaped recesses 38 each of which houses a ball 42backed by a spring 43 the upper end of which is contained within asocket recess 44 in the overhanging upper portion of the block 33.

The two balls 42 act in opposition to one another; that is to say, theright hand ball (as viewed in Figs. 6 and 7) acts to prevent rotation ofthe roller |1 in a clockwise direction, while the left hand ball acts toprevent rotation in a counter-clockwise direction. In order to disablethe right hand ball and permit rotation during the return of the rollerafter a feeding movement, a pin 45 is provided which extends inwardlybeneath the right hand ball and has its outer end entered through andrigidly secured to the ring plate 31 which being rotatable may beadjusted to lift the ball against spring pressure and thus hold the ballwithin the enlarged upper end of the cavity so that its wedging functionwill be suspended for the time being, thus permitting a limitedclockwise movement of the roller during the period of such adjustment.

The adjusting ring 31 is actuated by a push rod 46 the inner end ofwhich is pivoted upon a pin 41 outwardly extending from the adjustingring 31. The rear end of the push rod 46 carries a roller 48 which isheld against a cam disk 49 by the action of a spring 50. The cam 49 ismounted upon the rod 22 and held in adjusted relation by a thumb screw5|, and the cam is provided with a flattened surface 52.

From a comparison of Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noted that as the arms 23swing forwardly, the rod 22 and with it the cam 49 will be moved tocause the roller 48 to roll away from the depressed cam surface and thusimpart a counterclockwise movement to the ring plate 31, which slightlylifts the pin 45 and with it the associated ball 42, `so that at theterminus of the forward feeding movement of the roller |1 the rollerwill be unlocked by the `disablement of one of the balls 42 inpreparation for a rolling movement of the feed roller during thebeginning of its return movement and while the outgoing paper sheet isadvancing in the opposite direction.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the formation of the cam 49 is such as tobring the ring plate 31 back to its initial position to restore both ofthe wedge balls to locking position toward the terminus of the returnmovement, but the cam, if desired, may be modified in shape, as shown inFigs. 8 and 9, by limiting the extent of the depression 52a with aresultant change in timing such that the locking of the feed roller onits return will occur during an intermediate interval only and notduring the terminal half of said movement.

Operation For convenience and to ensure precision in the feeding ofpaper sheets, the feed roller arrangement has been duplicated near eachend of the rod 22, which brings the feeding pressure to bear near theside margins of the paper, which is ordinarily desirable, although asingle roller may be employed in some circumstances.

With the parts in the retracted position shown in Figure 1, the roller(or rollers) Will rest by gravity upon the surface of the uppermostpaper sheet. If desired, the rollers may be additionally weighted toinsure firmer contact. In this position, the feed roller (or rollers)will be locked against rotation by the action of. the left hand wedgeball 42 (Figs. 6 and 7) irrespective of the adjustment of the right handball, so that on the forward or advancing movement of the roller it willmaintain frictional contact with the uppermost sheet and carry the sameforward to the delivery line. As soon as the sheet is delivered it willbe caught and drawn forward by grippers or other appropriate mechanism,and during its discharging movement the feeding mechanism will begin itsreturn movement.

At the terminus of the forward feeding stroke, the cam 49 will haverotated the ring plate 31 suiiiciently to elevate the right hand Wedgeball, with the result that the feed roller will be unlocked and free toroll in reverse arrangement to its movement of recession during aportion of the return movement and until the outgoing uppermost sheethas cleared itself from the feed roller. Thereafter, the depression inthe cam 49 will permit a restoration of the ring plate to normalposition, with a consequent locking of the right hand wedge ball, sothat during a portion of the return movement of the parts, the feedroller will be locked and will thus exert a back feeding pressure on thesheets of. the stack, which tends to true up the stack and compensatefor any previous displacement prior to the next forward feedingoperation. This results in the feeding of the sheets from a properlyadjusted stack at all times and hence insures that the leading edge ofeach sheet will be fed to the same delivery line, so that the ensuingoperations involving additional manipulation of the sheet will beperformed with precision and accuracy.

Furthermore, the partial movement of rotation permitted to the roller oneach return movement will progressively bring different portions of. theroller surface into operating contact with the sheets so that any wearon the roller surface, due to long continued operation, will be equallydistributed around the roller, thereby maintaining its perfectcircularity at all times. Of course, the extent of the rolling actioncan be regulated by the conguration and adjustment of the cam.

it being desirable, however, to avoid a complete rotation (or rotations)in order to constantly bring new portions of the roller surface intooperative relation with the stack of sheets.

The feeding mechanism of the present invention is equally adapted to thefeeding of thin sheets of. material other than paper, and is adapted forassociation with any kind of a machine which is designed to operatesuccessively on sheets thus delivered to a common feeding line.

Although the invention has been described with particularity, it is notthe intention to limit the same to all of the details shown anddescribed, since modifications can be made without departing from thespirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In feeding mechanism of the class described, means for holding astack of sheets in column relation, a feed roller and means for causingthe same to reciprocate upon the surface of the stack and in feedingcontact with the uppermost sheet, and means actuated by the feeding andreturn movements of the roller for locking the feed roller againstrotation during its forward feeding movements and for unlocking theroller to permit rotation during a portion only of its return movementto insure a back feeding frictio-nal contact with the stack of sheetsduring a portion of. the return movement, said means includingoppositely disposed wedge members interiorly housed and adapted normallyto lock the v roller against rotation in either direction, and devicesfor temporarily moving one of said wedge members from wedging positionduring a portion of the return movement.

2. In feeding mechanism of the class described, means for holding astack of sheets in column relation, a feed roller and means for causingthe same to reciprocate upon the surface of the stack and. in feedingcontact with the uppermost sheet, and means actuated by the feeding andreturn movements of the roller for locking the feed roller againstrotation during its forward feeding movements and for unlocking theroller to permit rotation during a portion only of its return movementto insure a back feeding frictional contact with the stack of sheetsduring a portion of the return movement, said means including oppositelydisposed wedge balls adapted normally to prevent rotation of. the rollerin either direction and a pin adapted to lift one of the balls fromwedging position, and cam actuated means for adjusting the position ofsaid pin.

3. In feeding mechanism of the class described, means for holding astack of sheets in column relation, a feed roller and means for causingthe same to reciprocate upon the surface of the stack and in feedingcontact with the uppermost sheet, and means actuated by the feeding andreturn movements of the roller for locking the feed roller againstrotation during its forward feeding movements and for unlocking theroller to permit rotation during a portion only of its return movementto insure a back feeding frictional contact with the stack of sheetsduring a portion of the return movement, said means including oppositelydisposed wedge balls adapted normally to prevent rotation of the rollerin either direction and a pin adapted to lift one of the balls fromwedging position, an adjusting ring carrying said pin, a push rod forpartially rotating said ring, and a cam properly timed to actuate saidpush rod.

4. In feeding mechanism of the class described, the combination of atable and guide means for holding a stack of sheets in column relation,including a stop for the rear edges of the stack of sheets, a rollerhaving a frictional surface adapted to bear upon the uppermost sheet ofthe stack, an arm pivoted at its rear end to a swinging arm and carryingthe roller at its free forward end, locking means associated with theroller for preventing rotation thereof during forward feeding movements,and means for disabling said locking means to permit rotation of theroller during the initial portion of the return movement and adapted torestore said locking means to operative relation during an ensuingportion of the return movement to impart back feeding movements tocompensate for displacement of sheets in the stack.

5. In feeding mechanism of the class described, the combination of atable and guide means for holding a stack of sheets in colunm relation,including a stop for the rear edges of the stack of sheets, a rollerhaving a frictional surface adapted to bear upon the uppermost sheet ofthe stack,

, an arm pivoted at its rear end to a swinging arm and carrying theroller at its free forward end, oppositely disposed Wedge ballsassociated with the roller and normally adapted to prevent rotation ofthe roller in either direction, and disabling means adapted to displaceone of the wedge balls from Wedging relation during the initial portionof the return movement and adapted to restore said ball to Wedgingposition during an ensuing portion of the return movement to impart backfeeding movements to compensate for displacement of sheets in the stack.

6. In feeding mechanism of the class described, the combination of atable and guide means for holding a stack of sheets in column relation,including a stop for the rear edges of the stack of sheets, a rollerhaving a frictional surface adapted to bear upon the uppermost sheet ofthe stack, an arm pivoted at its rear end to a swinging arm and carryingthe roller at its free forward end, oppositely disposed Wedge ballsassociated with the roller and normally adapted to prevent rotation ofthe roller in either direction, a pin adapted to lift one of the ballsfrom Wedging position, and cam actuated mechanism associated with theroller operating mechanism for regulating the action of the pin topermit rotation of the roller during a portion of the return movement`7. In feeding mechanism of the class described, the combination of atable and guide means affording space for the positioning of a stack ofsheets in column relation, a feed roller and means for reciprocatingsaid roller upon the uppermost surface of the stack, said meansincluding an arm carrying the roller at its free end, a rod upon Whichthe opposite end of the arm is pivoted and a swinging arm to which therod is rigidly secured, a cam rigidly mounted upon said rod, a push rodhaving its rear end in operative contact with said cam and pivoted atits forward end to a ring plate associated with the roller, a journalblock upon which the roller is journalled, said block being notched onopposite sides to aord wedge recesses, a Wedge ball in each of saidrecesses adapted to normally lock the roller against rotation in eitherdirection, and a pin carried by the ring plate and adapted when rotatedby the push rod to lift the associated wedge ball and disable the sameto permit limited rotation of the roller during the initial portion ofits return movement.

ALBIN B. WAHLQUIST.

